Mathias Hariyadi

The authorities in Bantul Regency dismissed Yulius Suharto, head of Pajangan sub-district. He was appointed on 30 December. His fall is due to a broad campaign by fundamentalists and radical Muslims. He has been re-assigned to a sub-district where most residents are not Muslim.

The detentions came on the 55th anniversary of the military campaign that led to the annexation of the province to Indonesia. Hundreds of people have been accused of "separatism" because they were demonstrating peacefully and calling for a new referendum.

General Tito Karnavian has urged citizens to ignore the ban on dressing up for Christmas. Because of the edict issued by the Ulema Council (MUI), several merchants have been threatened by Islamic extremists because they asked their employees to wear Christmassy gear.

Showing accessories or clothes that reflect a non-Islamic tradition is against the law. The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued fatwa 56/2016 against the increasingly Christmassy atmosphere that is pervading public spaces. The group The MUI called on Muslims not to "mix" with a foreign culture.

The incidents took place in the provinces of East Nusa Tenggara Timur, West Java and Central Java: Two dead and 15 wounded. The survivors were stabbed in the neck: "The method of attack recalls the assassination of Fr. Jacques Hamel ".

The Jakarta Court North, dismissed the charge against Ahok of insulting Islam during a rally. Thousands of onlookers flocked to the event. The defense claims that the governor had lashed out at Muslim politicians who wanted to hinder his re-election as governor, but his words were manipulated.

A banner at Duta Wacana University, a Protestant institution, shows a female student wearing a hijab. According to Islamic radicals, a Muslim should not be shown in an ad for a Christian institution. However, for one Muslim student, “no political agenda should interfere with academic studies”.

The faithful of the Evangelical Reformed Church were gathered in a hall in Bandung, when dozens of people stormed interrupting the choir and dispersing the crowd: "You cannot celebrate in a place that is not a church."

The earthquake struck at 5:03 am local time. Many residents were preparing for morning Muslim prayers. Homes destroyed and thousands displaced. It is the worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami.

Organised to protest against the capital’s governor, who stands accused of blasphemy, the rally turned into a peaceful prayer meeting following the intervention of the authorities and the country’s ulema. Joko Widodo expressed his "appreciation for the large orderly crowd." Police arrested some "provocateurs" who wanted to manipulate the event to criticise the government.

Thousands of people took to the streets in 33 provinces to defend Indonesia’s founding principle of ‘Bhinneka Tunggal Ika’, unity in diversity. Wearing red and white ribbons (the colours of the national flag) lay people, religious and members of the military sent a message to the radical movements that want to divide the country.

They participated in the march of the 4 last November with the goal of creating chaos and violence. They exploited feelings against the Christian politician to prepare the coming of the Caliphate in Indonesia. Fears for the march on 4 December.